Process of manufacturing peroxid of hydrogen.



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WALTER 'WEBEE, F DUSSELDOBE, GERMANY, AS$IGN OR TO THE FIRM OF RENEE: & CIE., OF DUSSELDGEE, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING PEROXID OF HYDROGEN;

No Drawing.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER WEBER, Ph. 1)., chemist,'citizen of the German Empire, residing at Dusseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Processes of Manufacturing Peroxid of Hydrogen, of which the following I is a specification.

In the copending patent application Serial No. 7 66,091 of May 7 1913, a process of cathodically making peroxid ofhydrogen in an electrolyte containing oxygen oroxygenous gases has been described, in which these gases have been supplied and the electrolysis itself has been brought about at a In this proc-.

save the re-amalgamation of the cathodes requisite under certain conditions at certain intervals of time when the expensive cathode of gold amalgam is used, when I employ instead of this expensive cathode of gold amalgam a cheaper cathode material, such as copper amalgam, i. e. a compound of copper and mercury, or an amalgamated copper cathode.

Owing to using the cathode of copper amalgam instead of the cathode of gold amalgam I materially reduce the cost of the process of making. peroxid of hydrogen.

Example: 1 separate the anode chamber and the cathbde chamber in a suitable electrolyte, e. g. the aqueous solution of a mineral acid, by a diaphragm of asbestosffrom one another and insert an amalgamated copper cathode or a cathode composed of copper amalgam. I then saturate this electrolyte at a pressure of 100 atmospheres with oxygen or with a gas containing oxygen and electrolyze under pressure. When a high-current density of, e. 9., 5 amperes per square centimeter is used I find that 2 volts sufiice', as the Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed rebnmr 2e, 1911a. Serial No. 821,216.

Patented May a, was.

saturation of the electrolyte with oxygen under pressure diminishes the voltage of decomposition. The oxygen or the as containing oxygen must'beboth supplled into and distributed or dissolved in the electrolyte under pressure, and care must be taken that the electrolyte is always at a pressure materially higher than that of the atmosphere.

Instead of the mineral acid, e. g. sulfuric acid, solutions of alkalis or earth alkalis or directly alkaline solutions may be used which contain free alkali or earth alkali. The result is not so good, however, as when mineral acid is employed.

When less value is attached to the purity of the peroxid of hydrogen obtained than to high efliciency, it is preferable to employ stabilizing admixtures, such as boracic acid or urea, which, as is known, are able to retard the catalytic decomposition of the per- .ygenous' gases dissolved in a suitable electrolyte to hydrogen peroxid at a cathode composed of copper amalgam by electrolysis.

2. A process of making hydrogen peroxid which comprises reducing oxygen or oxygenous gases dissolved in a suitable electrolyte to hydrogen peroxid at a cathode composed of amalgamated copper by electrolysis.

3. A process of making hydrogen peroxid which consists in reducing gaseous oxygen to hydrogen peroxid by continuously forcing oxygen or oxygenous -gases into the watery solution of a suitable electrolyte under high pressure and during the s1multaneous enerationof hydrogen at a cathode compose trolysis.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

W LTER WEBER. he V Witnesses: i

HELEN Nurse, ALBERT Nmmn.

of copper amalgam by elec- 

